Playbill Dining Room

In 2018 Chemainus Theatre Festival executive chef Nick Caulford introduced a new dining experience to patrons of the Playbill Dining Room, Table d’Hotê. Still offering the traditional buffet experience with a salad bar and dessert buffet (including a chocolate fountain) the main course is a choice of four options for a plated dinner.

Main course is a choice between Paella (vegetarian or seafood), Roast Porchetta, and an Herb and Garlic encrusted Beef Striploin with Rosemary Potatoes and Creamed Spinach – which is what I chose. It was the perfect portion size and delicious!

A buffet dessert is always a winner and for a very 50’s inspired experience you can make your own Banana Split! Whatever you are craving – apple pie, trifle, brownies – the team in the kitchen will make sure you are satisfied!

Thank you so much to the serving staff of the Playbill Dining Room for their great service, ensuring theatre-goers feel relaxed and comfortable. It makes a night out at the theatre a complete experience!

The full buffet experience is still available during the rest of the performances but the Friday Night Table d’Hotê is a great addition! The menus can always be found online for all the dining choices. Don’t forget, they change for every show. You will find something that will fit your schedule, taste buds and budget. See you soon!

It takes many players to provide the world-class service of a Chemainus Theatre experience. Of course there are the actors on stage and the designers who work so hard to entertain and inspire you, but the team in the Playbill Dining Room also continues to impress visitors with friendly service and delicious food! The reviews for the Playbill Dining room from both critics and theatre-goers have been outstanding lately!

“Could you please extend our thanks to the Executive Chef? We really enjoyed the cold buffet with Asian themed salads in addition to the relatively new waffle station. Service was, as always, friendly and attentive.”

“Dinner buffet is exceptional with very attentive and friendly staff.”

Congratulations to our Executive Chef, Nick Caulford, his entire kitchen staff, and the busy dining room service staff on these great reviews!

Check out the menu for every show. It is always changing and with so many options to choose from you will find something to suit your tastes and budget!

Thank you to Chef Valarie Butler for sharing the latest recipe that we are sure you will be serving all summer long!

Thai Chicken Salad

Dressing For the Noodles:

½ Cup Canola Oil

3 Tbsp Sesame Oil

½ Cup Rice Wine Vinegar

2 Cloves Crushed Garlic

1 Lime – Juiced

1 Tbsp Garlic Chili Paste (Sambal)

1 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Dressing For the Vegetables:

3 Tbsp Canola Oil

3 Tbsp Sesame Oil

3 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Water

1 Tbsp Minced Fresh Ginger

2 Cloved Crushed Garlic

Ingredients For The Salad:

1 Pack Dried Chinese Egg Noodles

Mushrooms

Cilantro

Green Cabbage

Green Onions

Chicken Breast (Cooked and Diced)

Carrots

Method:

Make both dressings separately. Add the noodle dressing to the dried noodles and mix thoroughly. Don’t worry if the noodles break up a bit. Let noodles soak in dressing in fridge covered. Approx 1 hr. While noodles are resting in the fridge, prepare your dressing for the vegetables. Slice your vegetables thin and then marinate them in the dressing. Once the noodles have softened, mix all ingredients together. Strain the vegetables before mixing into the noodles. Garnish with Sesame seeds and more green onion if desired.

If you were able to catch our recent production of Once we hope you enjoyed the Irish comforts from the music to the on-stage pre-show pub experience. We also hope you saved room for dessert because the Chocolate Guinness Cake was melt-in-your-mouth delicious! The Playbill Dining Room is wonderful from the soup to the decadent desserts, so keep your eye on the ever-changing menu – everyone is welcome! Thank you to Pastry Chef Ally Taylor for sharing the recipe for the glorious Chocolate Guinness Cake served during the Once buffet!

Ally Taylor’s Chocolate Guinness Cake

1 Cup Guinness Stout

1 Cup Unsalted Butter

¾ Cup Unsweetened Natural Cocoa

1 ½ Cup Superfine Sugar

½ Cup Brown Sugar

¾ Cup Sour Cream

2 Eggs

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

¼ tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 350 Grease 9” springform pan with butter and line the bottom of pan with parchment paper.

Thank you to Nick Caulford for taking some time to answer our questions and share a recipe!

Q: Can you tell us about your background and training?

A: I moved to Vancouver from Toronto when I was 20 to attend Culinary Arts/Hotel & Restaurant Management school at Dubrulle Culinary Institute. I worked in restaurants in Vancouver and Toronto before moving to London England where I worked for a restauranteur group travelling from location to location throughout Europe training staff and performing Quality Assurance programs and initiatives. When I returned to Canada I moved to Banff where I began working for Brewster Hospitality, managing Food & Beverage Operations in their hotels.

Q: What led you to Chemainus Theatre Festival’s Playbill Dining Room?

A: My wife and I had always wanted to raise our children on the Island as the majority of her family lives in the Cowichan Valley, and I was always interested in getting back to my culinary roots where my initial training was, in Pacific Northwest cuisine. We moved to Chemainus in 2016. I have to admit that I was quite fortunate to become the executive chef at The Chemainus Theatre Festival, the timing just seemed right as our previous executive chef Steve Hewson was set for retirement. I had started as the part time evening sous chef of the theatre in March of 2017 working just 2 evenings a week. The theatre had such an impressive reputation amongst the locals and through word of mouth, I was excited to apply for employment.

Q: Farm to Table is important to you. Can you tell us about some of the partnerships you have formed with local farmers?

A: To me, Farm to Table is a wonderful concept. I have had the luxury of working for a Resort in Ontario on the shores of Rice Lake that had its own farm on location (Elmhirst’s Resort) that was doing a wonderful job with the Farm to Table concept. The farm would produce annual yields of vegetables from their own gardens of around 2 tonnes. They raised ducks and chickens for egg production as well as their own Beef Cattle on property. These items produced on the farm were exclusively used in supplying our dining rooms. It’s a special accomplishment not many can say they have the ability of bringing to market. To me, I am more focused on and passionate about fresh and local ingredients from the Island and the Lower Mainland. There are so many independent and micro farms, wineries, breweries and fisheries in our community. It’s really quite an exciting place to be. The Cowichan Valley is especially growing more of a food & wine culture. I have been reaching out to many of these local businesses to begin forging relationships hopefully for many years to come. We are all part of this community and supporting our neighbours will help showcase to locals and tourists what our region can do.

Q: Audiences love to see how the show is highlighted in the menu. Any shows for 2018 inspired you in particular?

A: They all have in some way. It is really fun creating menus that theme with a particular show or region of the world. I think I am most excited for Million Dollar Quartet and Glorious! Grease should be really fun as well. It’s difficult to not get carried away and want to over-theme every dish. We always try to have a good balance of dishes available to please everyone.

Q: Fridays in the Playbill Dining Room will have a new feature, the Table D’hôte. Can you tell us what Friday night audiences can expect with this wonderful new service?

A: The New Friday Night Table D’hôte experience will be a hybrid of a buffet and a plated dinner service. The Soup and Salad Buffet will still be in existence as well as the Dessert Buffet. The concept of the Table D’hôte portion of Friday nights will be a 3 choice plated main course menu that will feature and showcase items never before offered in the Playbill Dining Room. Offerings from Prime Rib to Lobster Tails depending on which shows you attend.

Q: The Scalloped Potatoes in the ‘Cornwalls’ All-Inclusive Cancun Christmas are like something out of a dream. Could you please share your recipe if there are any patrons who would like to impress their dinner guests this season?

Thank you for the kind words. It would be my pleasure.

Potatoes Au Gratin (Scalloped Potatoes) Serves 4-6

2lbs Russet Potatoes

3 Cups Whipping Cream

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1/8 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

Pinch of Nutmeg

2 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled & Smashed

¾ Cup Gruyere Cheese Finely Grated

½ Boursin Herb & Garlic Cheese

Heat the oven to 400°F. Using a very sharp knife or a mandolin, carefully cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch slices (no thicker).

Put the potatoes in a large heavy-based saucepan and add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat until the cream is boiling, stirring occasionally (very gently with a rubber spatula so you don’t break up the slices).

When the cream boils, pour the mixture into a 2-1/2- or 3-qt. baking dish. Shake the dish a bit to let the slices settle and then sprinkle the surface with the cheese.

Bake in the hot oven until the top is deep golden brown, the cream has thickened, and the potatoes are extremely tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. Don’t worry if the dish looks too liquidy at this point; it will set up as it cools a bit. Before serving, let the potatoes cool until they’re very warm but not hot (at least 15 minutes) or serve them at room temperature.

Special Diets

If you have special dietary needs or concerns, please contact the kitchen 24 hours in advance and we will accommodate you anyway we can. We also offer a prepared list of ingredients that could be of concerns on our menu for each particular show. Just ask your server. Thank you for your patronage. Call us at: 250-246-9806.

Notes

Menu subject to change. Substitutions may be made with similar selections that better suit the time of the year and/or main stage production

Dedicated to serving the versatile interests of audiences and artists, The Festival has attracted talented guest actors, directors, musicians and designers from across North America – a testament to our highly regarded theatrical productions and facilities. As a non-profit society, we exist to serve Vancouver Island and its visitors by creating exceptional theatre that explores and nourishes truth, hope, redemption, love and the human spirit.